The Best Live Dealer Side Bets to Try Out
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Live dealer sites have begun to provide unique bets to draw in more players. A great example of these are side bets, which can offer you larger rewards with some extra risks. While they are more common in games like Blackjack, they are also available in other live dealer titles.
If you are new to live casino side bets, we will show you how they work in this guide. You’ll also learn about the best types of side bets and how to wager with them in the best online casinos.
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Live Dealer Side Bets: How Do They Work?
Side bets are extra bets in live dealer games that offer you extra payouts for landing winning combinations that aren’t related to the base game. They are wagers you make on the side, which means it’s not compulsory to make them, but great if you want more excitement.
Side bets don’t have an impact on the results of the main game since they are optional bets that you can make any time you want. While these bets give you a great chance to maximize your potential payouts, some side bets come with a higher house edge.
Side Bets in Different Live Casino Games
When you talk about side bets, Blackjack is the first game that you’ll typically come across. However, side bets are also present in different games, including Roulette, Poker, and Baccarat. Keep reading to see what bets casino offers and for what table games you can use them.
Blackjack Side Bets
Blackjack is a game many players love, and this is evident in its popularity today. For this reason, software providers have incorporated different types of side bets to ensure more excitement. Here are some of the best options we have come across and used as a basic strategy in online blackjack:
Perfect Pairs
This is the most common side bet you’ll find on live blackjack because of its simplicity and the fair chances of winning. Here, you are wagering on whether the first two cards you are dealt will form a pair. The perfect pairs side bet has a house edge of 4.1% which gives the online casino a higher advantage. When you wager on this side bet, there are three possible winning combinations, and their payouts are as follows:
- Mixed Pair: A mixed pair of colors, e.g. Red/Black
- Perfect Pair: A pair in the same suit
- Colored Pair: A pair in the same color
Insurance
In the Insurance side bet, you wager on if the dealer lands a natural blackjack, which is a two-card hand making a total of 21. If you win the wager, you get a payout of 2:1. The insurance side bet is great since it protects you against the likelihood of the dealer having a natural blackjack. However, the house edge is 7.40% for the online casino, which means you should avoid this type of side bet unless you are experienced.
21+3 Side Bet
This side bet considers your first two cards and the upward-facing card of the dealer. You get a payout once both your cards create a three-card poker hand. If you want to play Blackjack 21+3 side bet, you have a chance to land one of the five hands:
- Flush (three cards in the same suit) – 5:1
- Straights (Three cards in a sequence but different suits) – 10:1
- Three of a Kind (Three cards in different suits with the same value) – 30:1
- Straight Flush (Three cards in the same suit and same sequence) – 40:1
- Suited Trips (Three identical cards) – 100:1
House edges in the 21+3 side bets tend to vary depending on the number of decks and the paytable used. The paytable above features a house edge of 3.70% and is one of the best you’ll come across. It is commonly used by Evolution Gaming on its live dealer games. In other cases, the typical house edge is 8.78% for 4 decks, 7.81% for 5 decks, 7.14% for 6 decks, and 6.29% for 7 decks.
Lucky 7 Side Bet
The focus of this bet is the number 7, and it offers decent payouts for special blackjack hands consisting of 7s. You can place this side bet in blackjack and get a real money payout even if you get a single 7 on the initial draw. The more 7s you land on the draw, the better your hand and the higher the payout you receive.
Like a blackjack strategy, some live dealer casinos will consider your first two cards and the dealer’s upward-facing card – but this is not always the case. This side bet offers a generous 500:1 payout, but it has an extremely high 49.88% house edge – making it ideal for players who love high-risk reward wagers.
Start playing blackjack using the best online side bets we present, enjoy a true blackjack experience and increase your bankroll!
Poker Side Bets
If you are a fan of live poker, you’ll find side bets in many variants of side bets here too – all with rewarding payouts. We’ll show you some of the best options we’ve come across:
Pair Plus Bet
Pair Plus bet is a side bet that focuses only on your three-card hand regardless of what the dealer holds. The aim is to lend a hand with a pair or better. Note that the side bet does not have any influence on the outcome of the main game. There are many ways to get a payout with this wager, including:
| Hand | Payout Odds |
|---|---|
| Mini Royal | 100:1 |
| Straight Flush | 40:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 30:1 |
| Straight | 5:1 |
| Flush | 4:1 |
| Pair | 1:1 |
Before using this side bet, note that it has a 4.49% house edge.
Six Card Bonus
This is a side bet that is common in the Three-card poker variant. It focuses on the best five-card poker hand from the six cards dealt to you and the dealer. You and the other players on the table will use your three-card hand and combine them with the three cards of the dealer. Remember, you can only qualify to win this wager if you have placed a Pair Plus wager and an Ante Bet.
If you play this side bet, here are the available hands and payout odds:
| Hand | Payout Odds |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 1,000:1 |
| Straight Flush | 200:1 |
| Four of a Kind | 100:1 |
| Full House | 20:1 |
| Flush | 15:1 |
| Straight | 10:1 |
| Three-of- a-Kind | 7:1 |
Like many other side bets, this poker side bet increases the house advantage. The RTP of this bet is 91.44%, which means it has a house edge of 8.50%.
5+1 Bonus Bet
The 5+1 bonus bet is one you’ll find in some variants of Three card poker, including Live Caribbean Stud. To be eligible for this side bet, you’ll first need to place an ante bet. You’ll need to create the best five-card poker hand using the dealer’s three cards and your three cards. If your hand beats that of the dealer, you win. The payout of this side bet is the same as the six-card bonus bet covered above.
AA Bonus Bet
This is a side bet you’ll find in popular poker variations powered by Evolution Gaming. If you opt for this side bet, you get a chance to claim up to 100x of your bet. Before you become eligible for this side bet, you’ll first have to make two main wagers first. You win when you get a pair of Aces or better from your two initial cards and three community cards. The side bet does not affect the base game and is evaluated separately from the game.
Live Baccarat Side Bets
Live baccarat is another great option if you want live bets for more wins. Based on our research, here are some of the best ones you can try out:
Pairs
In this side bet, you are wagering on whether your hand or the dealer’s will form a pair. You can expect to find a house edge of 10% – 15% depending on where you want to play. This side bet has decent payouts covered as follows:
| Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| Perfect Pair | 25:1 |
| Players Pair | 11:1 |
| Bankers Pair | 11:1 |
| Any Pair | 5:1 |
Big/Small
This is another side bet available in many baccarat tables. The objective of this side bet is to determine if the total number of cards dealt by the dealer will be big or small. If the total is more than five, the big bet wins, but if the total number of cards dealt is less than five, the small bet wins. Big/Small side bets have reasonable house edges of 2.7% to 4%, which makes it a great choice.
Sum Bonus
In this side bet, you are betting on the total value of your card and that of the banker. You win and get a payout if the total value of cards is less than 5 or more than 14.
Live Roulette Side Bets
You won’t find as many live roulette side bets as the other variations but there are still some great options to pick from. Here are some of the options that can offer you decent payouts that we discovered during our research.
Lucky Ball Roulette
You’ll find this side wager in only selected online casinos. Here, you’ll have to predict the results within four color-coded slots: yellow, red, blue, and green – which may vary depending on the platform.
After you place your wager, a specific number is assigned to a color and displayed. If the ball lands on the assigned number during the spin, you get a payout that corresponds to the selected color. There are varying payouts in this side bet ranging from +600 to up to +12,000.
Roul 8 Side Bet
The Roul 8 side bet is an exciting addition to the standard game of roulette. Your objective is to determine which number will win on the subsequent spin of the roulette wheel, which ranges from 1 to 36. Payouts can vary, but you can expect higher than the standard 35:1 common in roulette games.
Tips to Play with Live Dealer Side Bets
Side bets can help boost your winning chances aside from what you get from the base game. However, using a side bet can quickly go wrong and cost you cash if you don’t have the right information. Here are a few helpful tips we have compiled to help you out:
- Learn and Understand the Game: Before you decide to wager on side bets, first learn the rules of the base game. This is the case regardless of if it is blackjack, baccarat, or roulette. Once you understand the basic game, placing a side bet will be easy.
- Understand the Side Bets: there are many types of side bets all with different payouts and house edges. Learn each one so you are not blindsided by anything when you place a side bet.
- Note the risk involved: All side bets feature various house edges and odds. In most cases, you’ll find side bets with higher house edges which means the casino has an advantage. Weigh the potential risk and decide if the payout is worth taking the risk.
- Have a Budget and Respect it: Betting with side bets is still a form of gambling. This means that you can still get carried away if you are not careful. Make sure you set a budget to use and side bets and stick with it.
- Stay Updated: Continue to read up and stay informed on the rules and variations of side bets. Also, note that online casinos may alter the payouts of side bets, so ensure you stay updated so you can make better decisions.
- Have Fun: The essence of side bets is to have fun and not to make more money. While you may earn more cash if you do it right, don’t make this your focus. Instead, have fun and enjoy the game when you play. You can even play with promos, like the offers available at Captain Cooks, to try out the bets with less financial risk.
Final Take on the Best Dealer Side Bets
Side bets are based on luck and allow you to land a massive payout. They can also help spice up a boring live dealer game, and the results don’t affect the main game, even if you lose. However, we don’t believe side bets are ideal for everyone. They give the house a higher advantage and can make your game more complex. If you don’t like risks, then stick with the base game.
But if this is not a problem for you, then use a side bet. Just remember not to make them your sole focus when you play at a live casino, and always stick to responsible gambling practices, no matter the game you choose.